The Zoo of Horrors

Ever since I heard about a zoo called "Hadiqa Abu Jarrah" in Riyadh where animals are horribly mistreated it has deeply disturbed me. When we finally got the chance to go check the place out it became apparent the zoo was much worse than I had imagined. I've actually never seen animals being treated so bad in my life. Keeping in mind I've lived in the deepest most rural parts of Africa and never saw anything pertaining to treatment of animals that was comparable to this misery. And here we are in Saudi-Arabia, one of the richest countries in the world, a land where people are supposed to hold up to Islamic teachings. 

Places like this zoo and the Muslims who are responsible for it might give some unknowing people the impression that Islam in fact, enforces torture and evil acts toward animals. In reality Islam teaches kindness toward all living beings including animals. There are numerous Hadith teaching good treatment and respect toward animals. Here is one which clearly indicates animal rights are an important issue in Islam and that punishment will follow for animal rights offenders: 

"A lady was punished because of a cat which she had imprisoned till it died. She entered the (Hell) Fire because of it, for she neither gave it food nor water as she had imprisoned it, nor set it free to eat from the vermin of the earth." (Bukhari Vol.4, Book 56, #689) 

The five basic rights of animals according to Islam: http://www.openpaws.org/fly/rights_of_animals.pdf

The actual "zoo" which is in reality only a few small metal cages placed next to each other, is located inside the Fantasy Land amusement park on Thumamah Road. The animals have absolutely nothing in the cages, they can see and hear the others at all times. There were many ill looking, poorly animals there as well. The cages are outside in a hall with no air-conditioning or heating. Most shockingly they had large animals such as a grizzly bear and adult lions in tiny cages. The animals are never let out of the cages and there is only one zoo keeper taking care of them all.

These animals are in urgent need of help! Seeing the the zoo in all its horror and the animals there looking like they lived in hell on earth made me extremely, extremely MAD. There are not many things in this world that upset me as much as mistreatment of animals, children and women. So I decided to write this post to spread awareness of the appalling conditions of the animals held at Hadiqa Abu Jarrah.

We can try and find a solution for these animals and all you readers out there can help to get these animals out of there to a safer and more humane environment. They will always be captive that's for sure, but at least they deserve proper food and places to sleep in, places to walk around in, sleep in peace and shelter from hot and cold. No living being should be imprisoned in this way and kept in inhumane conditions. Read what YOU can do at the end of this post.

The entrance to the zoo shows pictures of the owner "Abu Jarrah" posing next to these animals. From the images we get the impression the animals are there just to show them off. The rest of the time they are forgotten and maintained by a single zoo keeper who we talked to.

The man pictured owns these animals and apparently few years back he decided to set up this zoo and the animals were brought there and placed into the small torture cells for people to come look at for a fee of 20 SAR. Previously the animals had been on the mans farm. There was no information about where or how he had gotten most of these animals but there is clear indication most must have been brought into the country illegally.

The man has had this grizzly bear for 10 years. We were told it was smuggled in as a baby from the U.S. Wouldn't that be an offense punishable by a jail sentence in the States, to smuggle out an endangered species? Saudi-Arabia does not have animal protection laws and the law banning trafficking of endangered animals is clearly not enforced whatsoever, which can be seen by going into any petshop in the Kingdom.

The tigers or the pumas in the pictures were currently not in the zoo. We were told by the zookeeper that the owner regularly takes some of the animals around the Kingdom to display them. The tigers are supposedly on display in Medinah at the moment.
Placing a huge wild animal such as a tiger in a 3x3m cage is utterly disgusting.

This is the male lion which looked like it needed immediate veterinarian attention when we saw it.

His son pictured inside the hyenas cage, WHILE the hyena is having its dinner. Hyenas are such peaceful, mindful eaters right? Anyone who ever watched National Geographic channel hyena programs showing how these ferocious predators normally eat their food and react to potential threats to their meal would know just how foolish and potentially dangerous this actually is.

Back to the grizzly. This must be the world's saddest, most depressed bear. He looks into the eyes of the visitor with such plea it is simply heart wrenching to watch.
The bear never got out of his prison, if you don't count the photo sessions with "Abu Jarrah". The zoo keeper was too afraid to even think of opening its cage in fear of his life. Grizzlies like all bears need to roam around extensively, have activities, social contacts and they also hibernate. I doubt this bear ever had the chance to have any of those things.

I guess this informative sign speaks for itself about the expertise and knowledge of the wild animals kept there.

The zoo also has domestic dogs in one cage.

 The sickly lion didn't have energy to move at all during our visit.

The sign says "do not feed the animals". The zoo keeper told us he feeds the animals every other day. Most of the more active hunting predators such as this coyote were pacing around the cages endlessly in the same monotonous way.

The animals eat, sleep and eliminate in the same space.

A beautiful lioness dreaming of Africa perhaps..The man working there told us he had let some of the lions out to an area in the back of the zoo. I pleaded him to let them out while we were there and to show us this place. He told me absolutely no, that he once had a female reporter there and the lion had tried to attack her wounding her badly. The zookeeper said getting the lion back inside the cage is almost impossible. Wonder why?
Here is a link to the news article of this very incident which happened to a female reporter named Asmahan Al-Ghamdi, a female editor working at the national Saudi newspaper, Al-Riyadh. http://www.emirates247.com/news/region/female-saudi-journalist-attacked-by-lions-2011-07-17-1.408180
http://womensenews.org/story/media-stories/110724/lion-attack-shocker-saudi-reporter-was-woman  


The man also showed me video footage from his phone which had a clip of one of the lions suddenly getting up and attacking the zookeepers friend from behind. He manages to escape the attack barely.

The young male lion seemed fond of his keeper but apparently they are aggressive toward humans.

The zookeeper seemed to genuinely like the animals and his job is surely a tough one. After all, he is only doing his job with the means given to him. He tried to play with the bear but it was not interested and kept looking to the ground.

A few fans were placed here and there around the hall. During Saudi winters the night time temperatures drop near 0 Celcius(32F) and in the summer temperatures soar to the high 40s daily reaching even 53C(127C). This places the animals in great risk of hypothermia or heat stroke and dehydration.

A baby monkey which was placed next to the bear looked pretty much frightened out of his mind and despite being locked up inside the cage had a rope tied to one of its legs.

Here is a video clip I took when I visited the zoo. You can see the following animals: A grizzly, a lioness, a coyote, baboons, hedgehogs or porcupines, eagles and other birds, a male lion, domestic dogs, another fox or coyote, two more lions, hyenas and wild dogs.

Here you can see the two hyenas, very agitated pacing around the cage as if they had gone mad.

                                        
The zoo of horrors has been haunting me. I contacted a Facebook group I knew that rallies for animal rights in the Kingdom. Er7amni Animal Rights Group has been working to help these animals. Some letters were sent out to the Ministry of Agriculture. We have been waiting for results but it seems no change has happened and the animals still remain in their misery. Something more needs to be done, so I decided to write this post and that is why I'm reaching out for YOUR help!

I'm sure many reading this are upset and know that animals just like humans can sense pain and even emotions such as boredom, excitement, joy, frustration and fear. The only thing animals can't do is speak out and tell us. We need to give them our voices.
Certainly people out there like me are worried for the well-being of these poor animals and feel a deep sadness about their current state. The animals are the innocent victims of men who seek only money and fame from them.
No soul deserves such a fate.

PLEASE help these animals by doing one or all of the following:

1. Share this post with your friends inside and outside Saudi-Arabia
2. Sign this petition: http://www.change.org/petitions/minister-of-wildlife-hrh-prince-bandar-and-riyadh-city-municipality-shut-down-abu-jarrah-s-zoo-relocate-and-treat-the-rescued-animals
Then share it!
3.Write an email to the following addresses telling them about the zoo and cruel treatment of animals there:
National Wildlife Conservation, Mohammed Malki: bandar@ncwcd-permits.org
fawaz_albaroudi@ncwcd-permits.org
info@swc.gov.sa

4. Send a letter addressed to Dr. Fahad Balghonaim Ministry of Agriculture, P.O Box 2639, Riyadh 11195, Saudi-Arabia. Tel 401-2777 
You can use the photos from this post and explain how you are worried about the animals in this zoo and wish to see them relocated to a better and safer place.

Some useful links about protection of animal rights in the Kingdom:

Sign also this petition asking for laws to be set up to stop animal cruelty in KSA:
 http://www.thepetitionsite.com/325/618/503/stop-animal-cruelty-in-saudi-arabia/
SPESA Society for the Protection of Endangered Animals in Saudi-Arabia: http://www.facebook.com/groups/165592253458342/

Facebook Group "Saudi Society for the Mercy of Animals" http://www.facebook.com/groups/Er7amni/

Er7amni Animal Rights group in Saudi webpage: http://www.er7amni.org/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=50&Itemid=62 

OpenPaws organization helping animals in Riyadh: http://www.openpaws.org/

Thank you,